A Composition and Orchestration of an Original Suite for Senior High School Band

Of all the areas in band literature, the most
gratifying and challenging for the composer and orchestrator
is found at the senior high school band level. At the present
time there is an acute need for adequate material at this
level. This condition exists primarily because of the following:
(1) arranging perplexities due to lack of technical
skills and lack of experience of high school band members,
(2) uncertain standardized band instrumentation, (3) the
neglect of publishers to meet their responsibilities, (4) the
inability of composers and arrangers to write specifically
for the senior high school band, and (5) the relative youth of
the band movement as an adjunct to our culture.
In orchestrating any original work, the scorer must
recognize the many problems associated with a standardized
instrumentation, the registers, functions of instrumental
voices, key considerations, accompaniments, solos, and notation
trends.
In composing original material at the senior high
school level, the composer must be aware of instrument ranges,
writing technique, interpretation, and intonation problems of
the band members; individually and within the section. Of
utmost importance is the composer's entire knowledge and application
of the forms in which he is writing. It is the sincere hope of this composer that this
material may urge other composers to specialize in particular
areas and levels of writing and furnish guidelines in study
material for those who may discover similar problems in
their endeavors.